Where I Stood
by momentary-ecstasy
Summary: Cameron's bachelorette party has some lingering effects.
1. Chapter 1

Her head was killing her. She drank entirely too much the night before. She didn't want to open her eyes immediately. Her last ditch effort to do something completely out of character at her bachelorette party had ended in the worst hangover she'd ever had. She rolled over to bury her head under the pillow when she realized that the sheet she was under was floating against her bare skin.

Cameron slowly opened her eyes against the harsh light coming in from the floor to ceiling windows she had never seen before in her life. As she cautiously scanned the room she saw the generic furniture and materials of a motel room. Luckily, there was no one else in the room. Cameron checked the clock and was glad she had taken the day off in the unlikely event of the hangover. She never drank that much or got that out of control, but she felt that she needed to let loose. That in combination with the fight she had had with Chase earlier in the day and her massive stress levels from work sent her into a drinking binge.

The blonde groaned and buried her face in a pillow that smelled faintly of perfume. Cameron didn't recognize it as her own, but the smell triggered something in her brain to bring back a memory of the night before.

_She stumbled into the motel room with someone behind her. Cameron whirled around and kissed the person who had followed her in, so forcefully the person was backed up against the door closing it behind them. The blonde felt warm skin just above the tight jeans of her companion as she ran her palm across the area._

Cameron buried her face deeper into the pillow trying to remember who she had slept with. She knew it was a woman and that fact didn't surprise her. She'd had relationships with women before, she just wasn't very open about it around work because of House.

She'd never had to try to figure out who she had slept with before. This was definitely not something she'd ever do. Especially the whole cheating on her fiancé thing. Running a hand through her hair, she didn't know how she was going to be able to face Chase and if she should tell him or not.

After a few minutes of staring at the white ceiling, Cameron decided to get dressed. She figured that she wasn't going to tell Chase that she slept with someone until she was sure who it was. One of her friends at the bachelorette party was bound to know who she left with.

Her clothes were in a neat pile folded on the chair in the corner of the room. Cameron was sure that the night before her mind wasn't on folding her clothes so her whoever she slept with was courteous enough to do it for her. As she backed to the bed to sit to put her black pants on, she knocked over one of the heeled boots she had worn the night before and when she bent down to set it upright she saw a little bit of lilac lace peeking out from under the bed skirt. Cameron reached down and picked it up, revealing it as a pair of lilac, lacy hot pants. The feel of the material brought another memory to the forefront of her mind.

_The body pressed against her own was so soft and so warm, Cameron just wanted it closer so she reached up and ran her hands across the smooth skin of the woman's back, her fingers grazing over the back of a lilac lace bra. She tilted her head to the side so a pair of skilled lips could have full access. _

_ Cameron ran her hand along the back of a toned thigh as she wriggled under the woman above her. _

Cameron didn't remember ever feeling so turned on. It might have been the alcohol, or whoever it was that she slept with, but the blonde felt the need now more than ever to find out who the mystery woman was.

She saw her keys and clutch wallet were on the nightstand next to the bed, neatly stacked and perfectly parallel to the edge of the stand. Cameron picked both of them up and after folding the hot pants she found as small as possible before putting them in the pocket of her jacket. She thought it would be nice to return them to their owner. She found a key card to the room under her wallet and picked it up on her way out.

As she spotted her car, Cameron wondered if the mystery woman had paid for the motel room. Ever being the one that had to do the right thing, Cameron walked to the small front office of the motel. A friendly looking older woman smiled at her from behind the clean white counter of the front desk. "How can I help you?"

"Um, was room," Cameron paused to look out the window at the door she had just come out of, "134 paid for last night?" She twirled the key to the room in her hand.

The older woman's fingers flew over the keys on the computer in front of her. She paused as she squinted at the screen to read before answering, "Yes it was. It was also paid for tonight."

Cameron's eyebrows knitted together. She bit her lip debating whether or not to ask the question that was on her mind. Deciding to bite the bullet Cameron sheepishly asked, "Can you tell me who paid for the room?"

The woman smiled softly, "I'm not allowed to release a name as it was paid for with the credit card."

"What about what she looked like?" Cameron asked.

"Well," the woman took a deep breath, "My glasses broke last week and I haven't gotten my new pair yet, but from what I could see, she was tall-ish, thin with long dark hair, maybe brown. Wavy. Very polite… I'm sorry. That's all I can remember."

"Thank you so much," Cameron smiled sweetly, sliding the key into her pocket, "When is checkout?"

"Eleven tomorrow," the woman smiled again.

"Thanks," Cameron added again and walked to her car that was parked perfectly in the spot right in front of the room. She finally took a moment to survey the building. It wasn't the newest motel in town, but it definitely wasn't the oldest. It was painted light blue with white trim around the windows and doors. Some of the gold numbers on the doors were missing, but for the most part it was kept in good shape. She turned from the building to look at the street the motel was on. It was only a few blocks from the bar they were at. It would have been easy to drive to the motel drunk or not. However the car was parked in the space, straight between the lines so it was obvious she didn't drive her own car to the motel last night.

She unlocked the car and looked around the inside trying to find something that might belong to the mystery brunette. When she found nothing, she fell into the driver's seat and took her sunglasses out of the glove compartment of her car, the faint smell of stale smoke coming off of her clothes. Cameron sat and thought for a moment. Smoking wasn't allowed in most bars in Plainsboro, but at the one they started at last night, there was a group of people smoking right outside the door. Cameron bend down and inhaled the smell, another memory coming back to her.

_ Chase was being an ass. She wanted him to miss one stupid cricket game so they could go pick out the champagne flutes they would toast their marriage with and he was acting like a child. It's the finals or championship or something, but this was their wedding._

_ "Ally," one of her friends leaned over the small cocktail table, "Are you okay?"_

_ Cameron snapped out of her own head and looked across the table at the light brown eyes of her best friend. "Oh yeah. Sorry."_

_ Her friend, Kelly frowned, "This is your bachelorette party. You're supposed to be having fun." _

_ "I know," Cameron smiled softly, "Bars just aren't really my scene."_

_ "Just be glad I talked Sadie out of taking you to a strip club," Cameron's friend winked and leaned back in her chair._

_ The blonde ER head looked around the bar, noticing that everyone she came with, with the exception of Kelly were dispersed around the bar, having a generally good time._

_ "Do you want another drink?" Kelly asked._

_ Cameron looked at the empty glass that her mojito once occupied. This was supposed to be fun. She was supposed to cut loose. She was tired of doing things how she was supposed to. She was tired of having to do the right thing all the time. _

_ The blonde looked up at her friend, "Let's do shots."_

_ Kelly's eyes lit up. "I knew there was a little party animal in there somewhere." She stood up and walked to the bar, calling everyone that had come with them over to the table. Everyone gathered around Cameron's table as Kelly brought over the shots. _

_ Kelly flipped her brown hair out of her face as she lifted the light down liquid in the air, "To Ally's last week of freedom."_

Cameron's mouth dropped open. The mystery woman couldn't be Kelly, could it? After a minute of thinking, Cameron sighed. There was only one way to find out.

"Hey Ally," Kelly smiled when the blonde walked into her office. She stood from behind her desk, wearing a smart charcoal gray suit with a purple shirt under the tailored jacket. "I can't believe you're already awake." She rounded her large desk with a glossy top, covered in papers next to a flat computer screen.

The blonde warmly accepted the hug she knew was coming. "Me either," Cameron decided to test Kelly, just in case she was the mystery woman because right now she was acting completely normal. "What time did I go to bed last night?"

Kelly shrugged, "I have no idea. I had to go home around two because I had to be here this morning. You stayed with everyone else." Kelly frowned and gestured to the chair for Cameron, "I hated to be a party-pooper. It's just getting close to my deadline."

"It's fine," Cameron smiled taking a seat in one of the comfortable looking maroon chairs facing the front of Kelly's desk, "To be honestly, I probably made an ass out of myself."

"Probably?" a wicked grin formed on the other woman's face, "You don't remember?"

The ER head shook her head, sighing as she leaned back in the chair, "Not at all. Was I hanging around any brunettes in particular?"

Kelly studied her best friend for a while before letting out a quiet gasp, "Allison Cameron! Did you sleep with that hot brunette bartender?"

"The guy?" Cameron tried to remember before finding it pointless. She shook her head, "No."

"A girl?" Kelly asked taking a seat on the corner of her desk, placing her hand on the edge of her desk.

The blonde bowed her head and nodded.

The first thing out of her friend's mouth was definitely not expected, "Was she hot?"

Cameron raised an eyebrow at Kelly.

"What?" Kelly shrugged, "It's a legit question."

"I don't remember," Cameron sighed again. This was beginning to get frustrating. "And I need to find out."

"Well," the brunette paused, putting her long brown hair behind her ear, "Do you know anything about this unidentified woman?"

"She had long dark, maybe brown hair and is a size two," Cameron droned, "She has a credit card and is tall-ish."

Kelly looked questioningly at her friend, "You thought it was me?"

Cameron bashfully looked at her lap, "Brown hair and tall. You were there last night. It's logical."

Kelly nodded understanding Cameron's conclusion. "How do you know she's a size two?" Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"She forgot something."

"Ah," Kelly sat up straight. She looked over at her desk and picked up a notepad and a pen, "Let's make a list of everyone you remember at your party with long brown hair. Hopefully it's someone you know."

It suddenly hit Cameron that she should probably get tested for anything communicable tomorrow when she went back to work. The blonde nodded, "Um there was Jennifer, Danielle, Tori…"

"That girl that looked like Uma Thurman," Kelly interjected.

Cameron thought for a moment before smiling, "Hannah?"

"Yes!" Kelly wrote down all the names. They both paused, "What about that doctor you invited that was quiet the whole time before heading off to the bar?"

"Thirteen?" Cameron asked suddenly remembering when she invited Thirteen on a whim in the locker room at the hospital. She'd been curious and wanted to get to know the younger doctor, and dragging her to a bar seemed like a good idea. All she knew about Thirteen was that she was dating Foreman. Cameron internally cringed and couldn't help, but think the internist could do so much better.

As the wrote the brunette asked, "Her name is Thirteen?"

"It is at work," Cameron explained, "Her real name is…" she paused knowing that she'd heard Cuddy yell it at some point in the past year Thirteen had been working with her, "Remy."

"Nice," Kelly nodded, "So that's all the brunettes I remember."

Cameron ran a hand through her hair, "Yeah. Me too, but how do I find out who it was? And what if it wasn't any of these people?"

"Then you just wait to remember," the woman stood from her desk and patted Cameron's shoulder, "It'll come to you."

"What do I tell Robert?" Cameron sighed.

Kelly bit her lip, "Don't tell him anything until you know for sure. Maybe you just made out with some girl and passed out before anything happened."

"I woke up naked," Cameron muttered.

Kelly put the notepad to her chest and looked at the ceiling, "Her first one night stand. Our girl is growing up."

Cameron couldn't help, but laugh and swat Kelly's knee, "Shut up."

"But really hon," the brunette leaned on her desk, "We'll find out who it is. How about we go take Sadie to lunch? She was in charge of you after I left."

"I have no idea what happened after you left," Sadie chuckled as she looked at Kelly, "I kept drinking shots of vodka as they were put in front of me."

"Who was the last person you saw with Ally?" Kelly asked, as Cameron took a bite of her sandwich. Suddenly, she was starving. Apparently she had quite a workout the night before.

"Um…Jen was sitting next to you when I left," Sadie shrugged.

Cameron was about to open her mouth when a beeping filled the air around them. The blonde looked down at her phone on the table. She was getting a page from the hospital, specifically Cuddy's office which always meant that they needed her in the ER. If Cuddy needed something else she'd just call.

She looked up at her friends. "I have to go to work."

"I'll call Danielle and Tori for you," Kelly told her.

"Tori crashed on my couch last night," Sadie explained taking a bite of her soup, "I guess Kelly was the only one that didn't drink herself into oblivion last night. Your doctor friend drank a lot and she was flirting hardcore with the bartender."

"So I'll call Danielle," Kelly stood up with Cameron, "And I'll call you after." She hugged Cameron.

The second Cameron stepped out of the locker room in her clean pink scrubs she was swept up in a whirlwind of sick, injured, and dying patients. It was hours before she was able to sit down. She was exhausted from a lack of sleep, a lingering hangover, and an empty stomach.

The blonde tiredly walked into her office and slumped down in the chair behind her desk, her head resting next to her arm on the smooth wood. As she yawned, her phone rang in the drawer next to her desk.

Cameron whipped out the phone and opened it, laying it on the side of her head. "Yeah."

"Hey hon," Kelly's sweet voice came over the line, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm exhausted," Cameron answered, "Did you call Danielle?"

"Yup. She left with some guy and they spent the night at her place," Kelly answered. There was a pause, "I gotta go. Call me when you get home from work."

"Okay, bye," the doctor sighed and closed her phone. She lifted her head, slowly and decided that she had done all she could that day. Staying longer would risk a misdiagnosis and falling asleep on her feet.

As she trudged to the locker room, Cameron's phone rang again. This time Chase's name appeared on the screen. She silenced her phone and sighed. She didn't think she could face him until she figured out what happened. And truth be told, she really didn't want to go home tonight. Well, the hotel room was still paid for, for another night and maybe she'd run into the mystery women there.

Cameron didn't know how long she stood at her locker staring at the contents, but movement out of the corner of her eye brought her out of a trance. She glanced over and found Thirteen standing at her locker, a stain across the front of her shirt that looked like the contrast dye they used for MRIs.

"Hey," Cameron said pleasantly as Thirteen pulled a clean shirt out of her locker.  
Thirteen's head whipped to where Cameron was standing. Her eyes went from panicked to questioning in a matter of seconds. When Cameron just turned to her locker to open it, Thirteen decided it was safe to answer, "Hey."  
"Did you have fun last night?" Cameron asked politely as she started to change out of her scrubs.  
Thirteen wasn't sure if this was some sort of trick so she just answered, "Yeah."  
"Good," Cameron turned to Thirteen who was peeling off her shirt. "Sadie said you were hitting it off with the..." The blonde froze as the slim expanse of Thirteen's back came into view. It triggered a  
whole new slew of memories.

_Cameron arched her body into the body hovering over her until she felt contact. She ran her hands through the long brown hair of the woman above her and guided the brunette down for a long, slow kiss. When the woman pulled away, she looking into the crystal blue eyes of Remy Hadley as the younger doctor panted to catch her breath._

Cameron couldn't stop herself from reaching out and touching the skin she had so intimately gotten to know the night before, the gravity of the night before crashing down on her. Thirteen froze at the touch, her soiled shirt in her hand. "It was you," Cameron whispered finally noticing the lilac of bra Thirteen was wearing.  
Thirteen bit her lip, knowing exactly what Cameron was talking about. She swallowed hard but didn't answer.  
"Can we go get some coffee?" Cameron asked taking Thirteen's silence for a yes, "I'm still fuzzy on the…details." When Thirteen didn't answer Cameron added, "Please…I need to know."  
Thirteen pulled her clean shirt on and sighed, "Okay."  
Cameron nodded thankfully.  
Once they had awkwardly finished changing, Cameron lead the way out the door.

After they sat down at the coffee shop across the street from the hospital, Thirteen stared into her drink trying desperately to teleport herself to somewhere else.

"Do you remember last night?" Cameron asked quietly after Thirteen had been mentally absent for a good three minutes, her eyes fixed on the coffee in front of her.

Thirteen's eyes darted to Cameron before returning to her coffee. Her voice was barely audible, "Yeah."

"How did it happen?" Cameron asked pointedly.

Thirteen leaned back and looked at her, "In the bar, you kissed me. Then we stumbled out of the bar together and to the motel. I'm sure you can figure out what happened after that."

After a short, thoughtful pause Cameron asked, "How did my car get to the parking lot of the motel?"

"When I woke up this morning, I got your keys and left it there," Thirteen explained, shifting in her chair.

Cameron caught Thirteen's eyes, "Why did you pay for two nights at the hotel?"

"I thought you'd sleep late and miss check out," Thirteen shrugged. She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand.

It took Cameron a minute to process what Thirteen just said and when she did, she bit her lip, "Thank you. That was…sweet."

Thirteen was obviously was stunned by the comment, but quickly recovered. "It was nothing."

A dreadfully awkward silence fell over them as Remy stared into her drink and Cameron searched for anything to say.

An odd thought came into Cameron's head and since the situation was awkward to begin with she decided to ask, "How was I last night? Did you… Did I give…? God this is so weird."

Thirteen seemed to relax a bit and she even let out a smile, "You were fine. Yes I did and you were the cause of it."

"Oh good," Cameron sighed, "It's been a while and I was drunk…I don't remember."

"It's been a while?" Thirteen raised an eyebrow, leaning back in her chair.

The blonde nodded, "A couple years. Before I started working for House."

"Wow," Thirteen ran a finger around the rim of her coffee, "I never would have thought…"

"Most people don't," Cameron confirmed, catching Thirteen's eyes and holding them. After a pause Cameron added, "Last night I…I just wanted to do something crazy. Something I'd never done before. I was tired of doing what I was supposed to do. I never drink like that."

"It was pretty obvious," Thirteen offered a sweet smile, "You drank a lot."

Cameron nodded, "I won't be doing that again anytime soon."

"So last night was your bachelorette party? Which is usually followed by a wedding."

"Yeah," the ER head nodded, not sounding very enthusiastic.

"You don't sound too excited," the brunette observed.

"It's just…" Cameron paused, "It's what I'm supposed to do. I got good grades. I went to college, then med school. I got engaged to a doctor. I'm supposed to marry him."

Thirteen tilted her head, "What do you really want to do?"

The blonde sighed, "I don't know. Just…not what I'm doing now."

"Life is too short to not do what makes you happy," Thirteen quietly added.

After looking the brunette up and down, Cameron nodded. She knew that Thirteen was right. She rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes, "What do I do?"

After a short pause, Thirteen replied, "You'll know."

Cameron looked back down at the table. "I think, if it's okay with you, that I'll stay in the hotel again tonight. I really need some time to sort some things out."

Thirteen nodded, "You're welcome to stay there. I'm going to go home tonight."

"Well…" Cameron paused, "Would you have dinner with me? I just…you make a lot more sense than I'm making right now."

The younger doctor was reluctant to accept, but eventually nodded. "Okay."

They got some take out before heading back to the hotel. Neither one were feeling like being out in public.

They sat on opposite sides of the bed and stared at the TV that was playing sitcoms reruns. Cameron was deep in thought. In the back of her mind she had already decided that she was going to do, but she was fooling herself into thinking it over.

Thirteen on the other hand was just pushing her food around the white paper box with her chopsticks, wondering what had possessed her to come back with Cameron. This was definitely not in her one night stand protocol.

The blonde had quickly scarfed down her food and tossed the box into the trashcan by the bed. She looked at Thirteen whose food was forgotten in her hand as it rested on her knee. There was nothing about Thirteen that wasn't beautiful. Even in the trance the TV put her in, she was perhaps the most attractive person Cameron had ever met.

She didn't know why she asked, but she figured nothing could make it more awkward than she already was. "Would you have slept with me if you weren't drunk?"

Thirteen slowly turned her head back toward Cameron, her mouth slightly opened in surprise at the question. "I…what?"

"Under normal circumstances, would you have slept with me?" Cameron asked.

The brunette closed her mouth and swallowed, "What does that-"

Cameron cut her off, "Would you have slept with me?"

"Yes," Thirteen answered honestly, "You're…I've been…" She trailed off and looked at her food. "You're gorgeous."

Cameron blushed slightly, "Thank you."

"This may be obvious, but would you have slept with me?"

The blonde took a deep breath, "Probably not last night, but eventually. In a few months when I file for divorce and realized you're the most attractive person I've ever met. Although I probably would have asked you out on a date first."

Thirteen smiled shyly, looking down and letting her hair fall over her face.

Eventually they both turned back to the TV, not really knowing what else to day. A few minutes later, Thirteen stood, "I should go. I have to be in early tomorrow."

Cameron stood with her. She knew there was no reason for her to keep Thirteen any longer. "Thanks for staying."

Thirteen dropped her food into the trash, "No problem." She silently walked to the door and felt Cameron following her. The internist got to the door and opened it.

"Remy?" Cameron quietly asked.

Thirteen turned around with her hand on the knob. Cameron stepped up and softly kissed her. When she pulled away, Cameron looked at the ground, "I…um, have a nice night."

The shock of the kiss wore off and Thirteen just slid her hands into her pockets and nodded before walking back out to her car.


	2. Chapter 2

Cameron ignored Chase's calls for the rest of the night and sent a text message to him the next morning asking him to meet her at the track behind the medical building on the Princeton campus.

They walked around the track a few times before Cameron gathered the courage to tell Chase. He didn't handle it as well as she hoped. He demanded to know why and if she'd met someone else. Cameron assured him that she hadn't. She just wasn't ready to get married to anyone.

"Fine," he glared at her, "Just…fine." He turned on his heel and walked back to the medical building.

Cameron put her hands in her pockets and continued to walk around the track in the cold.

"Uh oh," House grinned, walking back to the table from his perch at the window, "Trouble in paradise."

"What is it?" Foreman asked after a few moments of silence.

House surveyed the table, "Barbie just broke up with Ken."

"Who?" Foreman asked back

Thirteen rolled her eyes. The reference was fairly easy to connect. She stood up and went to the coffee maker. As she stood there, she subtly looked out the window as Cameron strolled along the track, deep in thought.

"Foreman," House sat down at the head of the table, "Don't you want to go see why you're friends aren't getting a long anymore?"

Foreman just looked at House. The eldest doctor leaned forward and raised his eyebrows indicating that it was more of an order than a request.

"I'll go down to the OR and see if Chase needs any help," Foreman stood and walked out.

House turned to Thirteen, "I have thirty clinic hours I haven't done yet."

Thirteen took the hint and walked out of the room to the clinic. When she got there, Cuddy was standing at the nurses' station. "Hey, House sent me to do it clinic hours."

Cuddy shook her head, "Don't worry about it. There are four residents and their supervisors in there. Why don't you go to the ER? Dr. Cameron seems like she could use a break."

Thirteen slowly nodded and made her way to the ER. When she got there it was fairly empty. There were only a few patients and nurses were attending to them. Thirteen stopped at the nurses' station and talked to the one in charge.

"Do you happen to need any help?" Thirteen leaned on the counter.

The nurse smiled, "Always." She handed Thirteen a file and pointed her to a bed.

After half an hour of silent working, Thirteen was chatting with a nurse when Cameron emerged from her office. She looked tired, but otherwise in normal condition.

When the blonde spotted Thirteen she stopped walking and just stared for a moment. Then she subtly jerked her head in the direction of her office before walking back into the room.

Thirteen politely excused herself and walked into Cameron's office, closing the door behind her. She looked up and saw Cameron sitting on the edge of her desk, staring at the ground.

"You um…wanted to see me?" Thirteen asked, starting to become unsure that she read the signal properly.

Cameron looked up at Thirteen with a faint smile, "Well, I…It's easier for me to think when you're here." She paused, "I guess you know what happened already. I saw House in the window when I was walking back inside."

Thirteen nodded, "Honestly, I didn't think you were going to."

"So finally I become unpredictable," Cameron wistfully joked. She watched Thirteen smile before adding, "I had to. It's not really what I wanted."

"What do you want?" Thirteen almost regretted asking.

The blonde took a long, deep breath, "I don't think I know what I want anymore. I just…want to be me."

Thirteen nodded, "Makes sense."

"I also…" Cameron became hesitant and stood up straight, "I want-"

She was cut off by the door opening. One of the nurses stuck her head in, "Uh, Dr. Hadley, we need you in here."

Thirteen slowly nodded, "Okay." She glanced back at Cameron before slipping out the door.

Cameron sank back down onto her desk.

After work Thirteen sat at a bar staring into her drink. House had found a couple hours after she talked to Cameron and told her that he knew about the fake front she and Foreman were putting up. He knew that they weren't really dating anymore, which Thirteen could have cared less about, but Foreman seems a little upset. She didn't know why Foreman had asked her to pretend and she didn't know why she agreed, but now that the jig was up Thirteen could stop acting.

"I'll buy you a drink," a familiar voice said from the stool next to her.

Thirteen turned to see Cameron sitting next to her with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She had a glass in her hand that matched Thirteen's, but Cameron's glass contained much less liquid. Thirteen nodded and looked back at her drink.

Cameron signaled the bartender for another pair of drink before mentioning, "I heard about you and Foreman being a sham." She paused, "I wasn't really surprised."

"Why not?" Thirteen asked, lazily looking back at Cameron.

The blonde swallowed the rest of her drink as the bartender slid her another one, "You're way too hot for him."

Thirteen couldn't stop a smile, "Maybe he's a really great guy."

"He's not," Cameron sipped her fresh drink, "I've worked with him longer than you have."

The younger doctor nodded, "Okay, you caught me." She took a long drink of the drink Cameron bought her, then asked, "What brings you to this wonderful dive?"

"Good bourbon," Cameron smiled and raised her glass.

"Are you trying to drown something or are you celebrating?"

Cameron thought for a minutes before answering, "Both. I'm drowning the old me who follows all the rules and celebrating the new me, the one who goes after what she wants."

Thirteen raised her glass, "I'll drink to that."

Cameron tapped her glass to Thirteen's before taking a long drink that made half the liquid disappear.


	3. Chapter 3

After a few more drinks, Thirteen asked, "How much of a rule breaker do you feel like being tonight?"

"I'm new at this so…no felonies," Cameron grinned, looking up at the brunnette.

Thirteen laughed as she handed the bartender her credit card and stood from her stool. She patted Cameron's shoulder, "C'mon, let's go to my apartment."

Cameron was happy to follow. She was surprised they didn't get into a car of any kind. They just walked down the sidewalk past ancient buildings that had seen two world wars and almost no external cleaning.

Finally, Thirteen turned off of the sidewalk to a small walkway lit by little street lamps on either side. They walked through a gate black iron gate and up the fire escape of one of the ancient buildings.

"You live here?" Cameron asked, looking around.

Thirteen nodded as she unlocked the door with her key, "I moved after House got the key to my old apartment."

"You really like your privacy huh?"

"Would you like House having a key to get into your apartment at all hours?" Thirteen asked with a cheeky grin. She pushed the door open and gestured for Cameron to walk in first.

When she got inside, Cameron saw the small apartment had almost no walls separating each room from the other. A four foot wall hid half of the bed from the living room and the kitchen and dining room were merged together.

"It's small, but I don't need that much space," Thirteen offered, closing and locking the door.

Cameron walked into the living room and smiled, "I like it."

Thirteen walked over to a window that was next to the TV. "The view is great though." She opened the window and crawled out onto a tiny iron bar balcony. Cameron followed her. The balcony overlooked the moonlit Lake Carnegie against a backdrop of leafless trees hiding the civilization behind it.

Cameron was so taken with the sight that she didn't notice Thirteen disappear. She heard some things being moved around inside and then Thirteen appeared again, crawling out the window with a plastic baggie in her hand and a lighter in the other.

The blonde's eyes widened when she realized what was in Thirteen's hand. When the brunette was standing next to her, she took the baggie from Thirteen and counted four joints in the bag. "Why are they cold?"

"It keeps them fresh," Thirteen carefully watched Cameron. When the blonde opened the bag and smelled inside, Thirteen chuckled. She took one out and let it rest between her lips. She lit it and look a long deep drag. While she was holding the smoke in, she sat down on the floor of the balcony, still overlooking the lake.

Cameron joined her on the ground, "As I doctor I have to tell you that that's bad for your lungs."

Thirteen laughed, causing the smoke she was holding in to float up into the night. She handed the joint to Cameron. She watched Cameron inhale before handing it back. She set the extra joints on the windowsill.

Thirteen started to put the joint to her lips, but paused, "It's okay. I won't need my lungs in about five years."

The blonde furrowed her eyebrows, "What do you mean by that?"

"Huntington's Chorea," Thirteen widened her eyes to punctuate each word. She looked back at the lake.

Cameron nodded, remembering the word going around the hospital about the younger doctor. "Oh." She took the joint from Thirteen and stuck it in her mouth so she wouldn't have to think of something to say.

Thirteen finally released the smoke, "I think I'm okay though. Right now anyway. Except maybe my lungs."

Cameron choked on the smoke as she laughed. Thirteen smiled and went back inside for a beat before returning with two bottle of beer.

"So," Cameron leaned back against the building, "Is this what you do for fun?"

Thirteen shook her head and took a swig of her beer, "I do this to relax. Sometimes I just need to chill so me and my friends Rolling Rock and Mary Jane come out here."

Cameron laughed at a really bad pun and took the joint back from Thirteen, "I think you've had too much."

Thirteen rolled her eyes with a slight smile.

Cameron watched the end of the paper glow red and slowly get closer to her fingertips. When she finished, it was almost gone save for a few centimeters of pot. She handed it back to Thirteen who finished it off.

They sat outside, enjoying the view and each other's company for a while after they finished their beer. Cameron lulled her head over to look at Thirteen who was looking up at the star speckled sky. She gave into impulse and said, "Remy."

When Thirteen looked at her, Cameron slowly leaned forward and kissed Thirteen. The younger doctor brought her hand up and tenderly stroked Cameron's cheek.

It wasn't long before they made their way inside to the bed, leaving the window open to let in the cool, night air.

Cameron woke up after a few hours. She glanced over at Thirteen who was in a ball on the opposite side of the bed, shivering. The blonde looked down at herself and saw that she had apparently hogged all the covers.

She got up and closed the window before returning to bed. She covered Thirteen with the blankets before wrapping her arms around the younger woman, letting their body heats combine. With one last chaste kiss to Thirteen's bare shoulder, Cameron drifted back to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Thirteen wasn't in bed when Cameron woke up. Cameron got dressed and walked around the small apartment, not finding the younger doctor.

The young brunette walked down the hallway of the hospital with a small smile on her face. Waking up next to Cameron was quite possibly the best way Thirteen could think of to wake up.

However, when she got to the diagnostics office she found all the blinds pulled closed. She carefully opened the door and found the room dark except for a lamp that illuminated House's face as he sat at the end of the table.

"There you are," he pointed the lamplight at her, "Have a seat."

Thirteen didn't move, "What's going on?"

"Have a seat Thirteen," he gestured to a seat.

The younger doctor set her coffee on the table, "Turn that thing somewhere else and I will."

House turned the light back down to the table and Thirteen sat at the opposite end of the table. "You look happy."

"How can you tell?" Thirteen smirked, "It's dark in here."

He didn't smile. "Why did you fake a relationship with Foreman? Do you like being thought of as insane?"

Thirteen leaned back in her chair and shrugged, "I don't care what other people think."

House leaned forward, "Why did he want you to do it?"

"He," Thirteen paused and took a sip of her coffee, "I wasn't ready for anything like that. He wanted the house in the suburbs with the white picket fence. I don't. So I told him I didn't want to see him anymore. He asked if I could keep up the charade at the office so you wouldn't harass him about it, which I understand. You're very good at it."

He leaned back in the seat. "You're making me blush."

"Anyway, yesterday I told him it was ridiculous that he was a grown man and scared of you."

"You're not scared of me?" House turned the light back toward Thirteen.

She ignored it and shook her head, "No."

"Does you dumping Foreman have anything to do with Cameron dumping Chase?" House tapped his fingers on the cover of the lamp.

Thirteen shook her head, "Not that I know of."

"Are you sure?" House raised an eyebrow.

The internist finished off her coffee and stood up, "Is this going to last much longer because I need more coffee?"

"Late night?" House asked with a creepy grin.

Thirteen just ignored him and walked out. She went to the doctor's lounge and refilled her coffee before sitting on the couch to read the newspaper that was on the coffee table, though she wasn't really paying attention to the stories. She was wondering if Cameron was still asleep and if she was coming in today.

Her resolve to treat this as a passing fling had dissolved when she saw Cameron sleeping this morning. So Thirteen approached it cautiously. She had been an experiment to more than one woman. Not that she minded before. However her crush on Cameron made her hope that she wasn't just an experiment.

Cameron wandered around Thirteen's apartment for a few minutes before getting dressed and heading to the hospital. She hoped that she could _accidentally _run into Thirteen before starting her shift. She didn't really see a way that would happen, but she was going to wander aimlessly around the hospital until her shift in an attempt. After she changed into some clean scrubs, she walked and wondered what was going on between them. Thirteen had a terrible track record and had been known as a womanizer. Cameron just hoped that she wasn't just an interim body in Thirteen's bed.

Finally, ten minutes until her shift, Cameron went to the doctor's lounge to grab some coffee. She stepped inside and went straight to the coffee. As she was pouring it, she saw the top of a brunette head peeking out from the couch. She decided to test Thirteen's mood.

"Hey stranger," Cameron smiled at her coffee as she stirred in some sugar.

Thirteen grinned and turned around on the couch. "Hey strangest."

Cameron chuckled and walked over to the couch with her finished coffee. She sat closer to Thirteen than necessary. "House sure make you guys come in early."

"And then he doesn't have anything for us to do," Thirteen smirked and took a sip of her own coffee.

"Lucky," Cameron let out a light sigh and leaned back into the couch, "I have an ER full of stuff to do."

After a brief pause Thirteen offered, "I can come help you."

"Oh, you don't have to," the blonde looked at Thirteen, "You should enjoy your break from House."

"I'm sure you could use the help," the younger doctor added, "Most people avoid ER and Clinic duty like Typhus."

Cameron laughed at Thirteen's joke and nodded, "That's true. If you'd like to help, you're more than welcome to, but you don't have to."

Thirteen stood up and offered her hand to Cameron, "C'mon, let's go to the ER."

Cameron took Thirteen's hand and when Thirteen's pulled her up she used to momentum to bring their lips together. Then with a run of her fingers through Thirteen's hair and a quick smile, she lead the way out to the ER.

Thirteen wasn't in bed when Cameron woke up. Cameron got dressed and walked around the small apartment, not


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't long after they settled into the ER that House appeared. "Dr. Hadley," he yelled from the nurse's station.

She walked up to him with a questioning look on her face, "There are these great little things called cell phones."

"Yeah," he waved her statement off, "Dr. Chase needs your help in the OR."

"No he doesn't," Thirteen shook her head. Cameron stopped by the nurse's station to drop off a file and pick one up, but lingers to listen to the conversation.

"Yes he does," House nodded, "He asked for you specifically."

"He doesn't like me." Thirteen put her hand on the counter and leaned on it.

House paused, "He treats everyone like that. He learned it from Dr. Cameron."

Cameron made sure House could see her roll her eyes before going back to reading her file.

"C'mon," House widened his eyes at Thirteen, "How about some real work? The ER is like the sandbox. Where the little kids put band aids on their boo boos and it smells like poop. Come play on the jungle gym with the big kids who actually use their MDs."

"As logically sound as your argument is," Thirteen paused, "I think I'll passed. Being yelled at, even with an Australian accent, is worse than putting band aids on boo boos."

"Suit yourself," House shrugged and walked out.

Thirteen glanced at Cameron with a raised eyebrow.

"That was too easy," Cameron answered.

"Why does he want me to be around Chase?" Thirteen asked as they both went to the stack of incoming patient files.

Cameron shrugged, "Because House likes conflict and Chase doesn't like you."

"Why doesn't he like me?" Thirteen asked, slightly offended.

"He thinks you're shady," Cameron smirked at the slight indignity that crossed over Thirteen's face. "I don't know why."

Thirteen frowned and mumbled, "I'm not shady."

Cameron let out a full on grin, "He's not the best judge of people."

"Apparently," Thirteen smiled at the sign of Cameron's.

After a few more minutes of seamless ER work, Foreman walked in. Cameron walked up to him and asked, "Can I help you?"

He looked after to Thirteen. "I actually need to talk to Dr. Hadley."

Thirteen appeared at Cameron's side and looked expectantly at Foreman.

"Can we go somewhere more private?"

Thirteen looked at the file in her hand and then dropped it on the counter, "Sure."

Cameron watched from the counter as Foreman and Thirteen walked out. She couldn't help, but be a little worried, but figured there wasn't much she could do now.

"The OR observation room is the most private place you could find?" Thirteen asked with her arms crossed. She had always been uncomfortable around Chase even though he didn't know she was there. She could hear his voice slowly droning on through the speaker next to her.

Foreman shrugged her off, "Why did you tell House?"

"He asked," Thirteen shrugged, "It's time to be a big boy now and face the big bad wolf."

"Why are you being like this?"

"Being like what? Blasé?" Thirteen asked, "Because I don't understand this charade you wanted to drag out."

Foreman sighed, "I…um…House told me I wasn't good enough for you. He told me that he gave you two weeks to figure it out. When you ended our relationship before that, I didn't want him be right, because he always is."

Thirteen bit her lip, "Okay. Well, I guess I'm sorry I told him, but it was a bad idea in the first place."

"I know," Foreman nodded, "Thanks anyway." He pulled her into a brief hug before walking out of the room.

With Foreman gone the only sound was Chase's voice. Thirteen started to walk out, but stopped when she heard, "I can't believe her," interrupt the medical dialogue. She paused before turning the volume up on the speaker.

"She broke up with me because if we stayed together I wasn't just going to die off in a few years. She can't commit more than that," Chase ranted on to a nurse who just kept nodding her head. He looked back down at the man with his chest open on the table and continued, "I wasn't broke so she couldn't fix me. House said it himself. She doesn't love anyone. She needs to fix everything. That's why she tried to date House…"

Thirteen furrowed her eyebrows, taking in what Chase just said. From what she'd heard about Cameron it sounded like it fit, although a little exaggerated.

As she walked to the door, Thirteen heard Chase add, "I bet the next person she dates is dying."


	6. Chapter 6

On her way back to the ER, Thirteen decided to make a detour. She went to a place where she knew no one would find her. She went into the room of a coma patient.

"Hey Bill," she walked to the window and opened it, "Feeling any better today?"

Her question was met with the beeps of a heartbeat monitor and nothing else.

"Well I hope you feel better soon," Thirteen put one leg out the window and followed it with another one. There was a narrow ledge that hung under the window. Thirteen shimmied a few yards to where the ledge met the top of the third floor. It was a large flat expanse of roof. The only thing on it was a folding chair. That chair almost caused Thirteen to fall while she was bringing it up.

Thirteen sank into the chair and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She ran her hands through her hair and let out a long slow breath as she looked over the expanse of the Princeton campus.

Cameron kept glancing at the door, waiting of Thirteen to come back. When she didn't come back after an hour, Cameron gave up on her coming back. She decided to track her down after she got off of work and take her to dinner.

When she finally got off, Cameron went to the diagnostic office to find it empty. Then she went to the doctors' lounge and found a few doctors, but not who she was looking for. Finally she figured that she wasn't going to find the younger doctor anytime soon, so she changed and started to make her way to the entrance.

Just as she was walking past the front desk, she spotted the brunette walk into the cafeteria. She smiled and followed Thirteen in. Before she got there, Thirteen had gotten a cup of coffee and walked to a small table in the back. She was absently looking out the window when Cameron showed up next to her.

"Hey," Cameron said quietly as not to startle Thirteen.

Thirteen slowly looked up at Cameron with what seemed a forced smile, "Hey."

"Are you okay?" Cameron asked, still standing next to the younger doctor.

It took Thirteen a few seconds before she answered, "Yeah." After a pause she added, "Can I ask you something?"

"Can I sit down?"

Thirteen nodded.

"What did you want to ask?"

"Why…did you want to date House?"

Cameron looked down at the table, "How did you find out about that?"

"Will you just answer?" Thirteen asked quietly.

The blonde shook her head, "I don't know. I think I had a crush on him. Like a schoolgirl crush. His brilliance is overwhelming at times."

Thirteen swallowed and took a sip of her coffee. "What about your husband? Why did you marry him?"

Cameron raised an eyebrow, "Because I loved him, where is all this coming from?"

Thirteen ignored Cameron's question, "What about me? What are you doing with me?"

"I don't…understand," Cameron shook her head, "I don't know what I'm doing with you, but I'd like to find out. I think there's something between us that…we shouldn't let go of."

"Do you know about me?" Thirteen asked, "My…prognosis?"

"I think it's common knowledge around the doctor's lounge," Cameron offered, "What…are you…" Finally Cameron connected the dots. "I know what people say about me. I don't know who told you and I don't really know if it's true. There's a lot I don't know about me right now, but I told you before I think clearer when you're around." She looked at Thirteen to make sure she was listening. When she knew she held the eyes of the younger doctor she continued, "I don't know what to say to assure you and I don't even know that I should try to reassure you because I don't know what's going on with me, but I know that when I'm with you everything just seems, calm. Last night was…one of the best nights of my life. It was just fun. There was no ulterior motive, no drama."

Thirteen let out a long breath, "This has nothing to do with the fact that I have a finite amount of time to live?"

"Like I said, I don't know," Cameron reached across the table and took Thirteen's hand, "But I know that I want to be around you and I think about you all the time. You're not like anyone I've ever met. I'm trying to figure me out, but I was hoping in the process we could figure us out. I'm having a sort of crisis of identity."

Thirteen looked at their joined hands. "Okay."

"Okay what?" Cameron asked, hopefully.

"Okay, I'll stick around," Thirteen caught Cameron's eyes.

Cameron let out a relieved smile, "Thank you." She stroked Thirteen's knuckles with her thumb, "So, what do you think about getting out of here and going to get some real food?"

"I think that's the best idea I've heard all day," Thirteen didn't smile, but her frown disappeared. She and Cameron stood and walked out of the cafeteria together, neither one knowing where they stood, but content to be lost together.

Their dinner was quiet and pleasant, each exchanging stories of college and work. Cameron felt that Thirteen's stories trumped her own because most of Cameron's stories began in a library.

When Cameron brought up her brief experimentation with crystal meth Thirteen was surprised. "You did meth?"

Cameron nodded, "It's not something I'm proud of, but I wanted to live a little. I thought I was dying…" She trailed off remembering that the woman across the table from her was actually dying.

Thirteen looked down at the table, "I know what that feels like. You want to stop feeling or start feeling or just experience things. But I don't regret anything I've done. The women, the sex, the drugs, the drinking. I don't regret it at all."

"What about Foreman?" Cameron attempted a joke.

Thirteen finally smiled, "I don't really regret that either. I think it was sort of a transition time for me. I was done going crazy, but I wasn't ready to settle down."

"You're ready to settle down now?" Cameron hesitantly asked.

The younger doctor shook her head, "Not yet, but I'm closer than I've ever been. I'm still trying to face my monsters."

Cameron nodded, "You have monsters? I thought someone as brave as you would have tamed your monsters."

Thirteen shook her head, "I still have a few. There's a fine line between brave and reckless."

The blonde smiled, "Agreed." She looked at both of their empty plates and signaled for the check, "Do you have any other plans tonight?"

"No."

"Do you feel like going for a walk with me?" Cameron asked hopefully.

"Sure."

Cameron grinned, "Great."

They walked into the cold night together with no clear destination. As they walked Thirteen put her hands in her pockets and looked out to the distance. "Truth or dare."

Cameron looked at Thirteen, "What?"

"Truth or dare?"

The blonde smiled at the sidewalk and decided to play along. "Truth."

"Beside meth and pot what drugs have you done?"

"Ecstasy," Cameron stated, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Why are we playing truth or dare?"

Thirteen smiled, "I'm comfortable with this medium for the time being. And I left my Ouija board in my other jeans." She looked at Cameron, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"How did you feel when you thought you were dying?"

Cameron inhaled deeply, "At first I was depressed. Then I felt free. Like I could do anything and everything I ever wanted and I wasn't afraid to."

Thirteen nodded, understandingly.

"Truth or dare."

"Dare," Thirteen scratched the back of her neck.

"Kiss me."

The brunette looked at Cameron, "Right here?" She gestured to the empty street and lonesome sidewalk.

Cameron nodded.

Thirteen stopped walking and slid her hands to the back of Cameron's neck, pulling her in for a slow, sweet kiss. She lingered a breath away from Cameron before pulling away and starting to walk away.

"Truth or Dare?"

Cameron let out a small smile, "Truth."

"Why did you want me to kiss you?"

"I love it when you kiss me," Cameron blushed slightly and bowed her head.

Thirteen grinned at the admission and Cameron's embarrassment over it.

"Truth or dare?" Cameron asked.

"Dare." Thirteen answered, wondering what Cameron wanted her to do now.

"Take me to your apartment," the blonde asked, breathless and slightly nervous.

Thirteen raised an eyebrow and looked around. It was only a few blocks away, but first she wanted to clarify, "Why?"

"You didn't asked me truth or dare yet," the blonde smirked, slyly.

Thirteen put her hands in her pockets and changed directions toward her apartment, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to tell me why you want to go to my apartment."

"You're good," Cameron smiled and stepped off of the curb after Thirteen who was crossing the street.

Thirteen nodded, "I know."

"I want to go to your apartment because I like it there," Cameron answered, "It's calm and cozy…and private."

Thirteen paused before they got to the steps of the stairs that lead to her apartment, "Private?"

"It has four walls and a door," Cameron started up the stairs leaving Thirteen to follow her up.


	7. Chapter 7

In the morning, a ringing of a phone woke both women up. Cameron fished her phone out of her pants that were on the floor and flipped it open, "Hello?…hi mom."

Thirteen rolled over to face Cameron and pulled the covers up to her chin as the blonde sat up with her back against the headboard. She absentmindedly stroked Thirteen's hair while listening to her mother.

"Yes I know your birthday is this weekend," Cameron said into the phone, "I don't know…Yeah work is fine…no he's not. I haven't even seen him in a week."

The brunette moved her head to Cameron's lap and absorbed the feeling of Cameron's fingers running through her hair, while listening to the conversation.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can do," Cameron smiled down at Thirteen, "No it's okay mom. I'm really okay. I'm happy….I love you too. Bye."

She hung up her phone and set it on the nightstand. Then she looked down at Thirteen, "Good morning."

"Good morning," Thirteen turned her head slightly to look up at Cameron., "That was your mom?"

Cameron nodded, "Her birthday is this Saturday. She wants me to come home for a party."

"Why don't you?"

The blonde shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just never really comfortable at family things. Plus it's just a weekend which gives me twenty-four hours to get all my stuff ready and get down there. I'll fly her up here for a week some time."

"I think you should go," Thirteen offered, "Moms are important. And her birthday is only once a year."

Cameron dipped down and kissed Thirteen's forehead, "I'll think about it."

They both got ready fairly quietly. Cameron borrowed some of Thirteen's clothes and looked at herself in the mirror. She loved the jacket she was wearing, but mostly on Thirteen. She could smell Thirteen's perfume radiating from the collar.

"Do you have time to get something to eat before work?" Thirteen called from the kitchen where she stood in front of the refrigerator peering down at the near empty shelves.

"Always," Cameron smiled and walked to the kitchen. She slid her arms around Thirteen's waist and kissed her cheek.

Thirteen smiled, not really used to the affection Cameron showed, but loved it.

They slowly ate breakfast, enjoying each other's company. Cameron noticed that Thirteen was being unusually quiet.

"Are you alright?" Cameron asked.

Thirteen slowly nodded, "Yeah. Sorry. I'm just thinking."

"Okay," Cameron nodded, wondering what Thirteen was thinking so hard about.

Her work started the second she stepped into the ER and stopped an hour after she was supposed to leave. Cameron was exhausted after a long day and just wanted to get home. She spun the dial on her locker and opened it to get her purse and change. When she reached for a ring she took off when she arrived in the morning and placed on the top shelf of her locker, her hand landed on an envelope.

On the front the words, "Go see your mom" were carefully written on the front. When she opened it, she found a plane ticket to Cameron's home state inside with her name on it.

She smiled and shook her head, tucking the ticket into her purse. It looked like she was going to make her mom's party after all.

It was after dark by the time Thirteen left her office. She changed in the locker room and twirled her keys in her hand as she walked to her car, one of the few left in the doctors' parking lot. When she got to her car there was a piece of paper, folded into thirds tucked under her windshield wiper.

She took it off and got into her car, trying to escape the chill that was moving into the city. Once she turned her car on and turned the heater all the way up, she looked at the paper. The front of it read, "Come with me." When she unfolded it, a plane ticket slid onto her lap. Round-trip to Cameron's home state in the name of Remy Hadley.

Thirteen smiled and sat in her car for a few minutes before taking off to her apartment.

Cameron decided that Thirteen was right. She needed to go see her mother for her birthday, so she went home from work, got dressed and packed before going to the airport. She took her time packing her clothes wondering if Thirteen was going to show up. It was a strange, rash thing for her do to, inviting Thirteen like that, but she decided that was the new Cameron. Going for what she wanted was part of the deal and Thirteen was definitely something she wanted.

She wasn't sure if she was ready to tell her family about their relationship. After all, she had just broken off her engagement and jumping right into the next relationship didn't seem the like the best idea to most people.

She ran her hand over the arm of the jacket she was wearing, then brought the collar to her nose. Something about the smell of Thirteen's perfume calmed her nerves a bit.

When she got to the airport and checked in, then lugged her lone carry-on bag to the line to get through security.

She scanned the line in front of her for Thirteen, praying that she'd made her way to the airport. When she didn't see her she sighed, knowing that it may have been too much to hope for to get the younger doctor to drop everything and hop a plane with her after they'd only been seeing each other for a week and a half.

"So uh…how 'bout this airport security?" a familiar voice from behind her asked.

Cameron smiled and turned around, "You came."

"Yeah," Thirteen shrugged, nonchalantly, "Well, I had an extra ticket laying around."

The blonde laughed and hugged Thirteen, "I'm glad you came."


	8. Chapter 8

Thirteen wasn't sure what possessed her to take Cameron up on her offer, but here she was on a first class, redeye flight to the middle of farm country USA.

She leaned back in her seat and looked out the window as the plane took off. She looked over at Cameron who was looking at the back of the seat in front of her. When Cameron realized she was being watched, she look at Thirteen and smiled, "Nervous?"

Thirteen shook her head, "What's to be nervous about? You go to your mom's birthday, I spend the day at the spa. Easy."

"Oh no," Cameron shook her head, "You convinced me to go to her birthday so you're coming with me."

Thirteen raised an eyebrow, "You sure?"

"I'm not going alone," Cameron smirked, "Those people scare me."

Thirteen chuckled, "Wow, should I be scared too?"

The blonde shook her head, "Nah. They like new people. When I walk in, my cousin is going to ask 'Ally what happened to your hair? It's, well, it's different.' Then my mom is going to ask when she's getting grandchildren and my dad is going to subtly disapprove of me moving out of the state and try to subconsciously guilt me into moving back."

"Sounds like you've done this before."

"Many times," Cameron nodded, "Oh and my brother is going to shamelessly hit on you."

Thirteen grinned, "Really?"

"Don't get any big ideas," Cameron took Thirteen's hand, "I'm still working on completely convincing you this is a good idea. He may be better at being charming, but I'm trying."

Thirteen leaned forward and rested her forehead on Cameron's, "You don't have to try. You're extremely charming. And I wouldn't worry about your brother, I'm only interest in one Cameron."

Cameron quickly kissed Thirteen, "Great."

When the stewardess came by, Thirteen got a beer and Cameron followed suit. They slowly drank them, chatting about Cameron's family.

By the time they landed, Thirteen felt she had a pretty good feel for Cameron's family.

Thirteen looked out the window and to the ground, but couldn't see past the wing of the plane. "What does it look like down there?"

"Well," Cameron thought for a moment, "If you could see it right now, it would probably be either a factory or a farm."

"Do your parents live on a farm?"

Cameron smirked, "No, just a small town."

Thirteen leaned back on her seat, "How far away from the airport?"

"An hour by car," Cameron answered, "I got a rental we're going to take."

The brunette nodded, "Okay."

Cameron looked Thirteen's hand, which was tangled with her own, over. She traced the lines on the brunette's soft hand and then trailed up her fingers to the tips.

The thoughtful look on Cameron's face worried Thirteen a little. "You okay?"

Cameron held Thirteen's eyes for a minute before answering, "Yeah. I'm just a little nervous. I always get nervous before going home."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"It'll be fine," Thirteen assured her, "It's just a weekend."

After a few seconds of silence Cameron asked, "Truth or dare?"

Thirteen chuckled, "Seriously?"

The blonde nodded, her face sans a smile.

"Truth."

"Are you nervous?"

"A little. I don't really have all that much experience with parents."

"Why not?" Cameron asked, although she thought she knew.

"It's my turn. Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"Do your parents know you've dated women?"

"Yes. I told my mom in college. Truth or dare."

"Truth," Thirteen glanced out the window.

"Why don't you have much experience with parents?"

Thirteen looked back at Cameron then stared the back of the seat in front of her as she answered, "My mom died with I was small. Around six. After that my dad had to work all the time and take care of me. He told me all the time that I reminded him of my mom. I think it was hard for him to be reminded all the time. I realized this when I was in high school so I joined as many clubs and teams as possible and tried to stay away from the house. I didn't want to inflict that kind of pain on my dad. Anyway, later I talked to my dad about it. He said it was hard, but he loved me. We're close now, but growing up I probably spent more times at school and other people's houses than my own." She glanced back at Cameron, "Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"What don't your parents know about you?"

"I'm an atheist. They're fairly religious. Unless you want to go to church on Sunday, you, me, and my brother will be the only ones in the house that morning."

Thirteen smiled, "Did you go to Catholic school?"

"No," Cameron smirked, "That's two questions. I get to go twice."

"Okay. Truth times two."

"Why did you come with me?"

"It seemed like a good idea. You already bought the ticket and…" She paused, "I like being around you."

Cameron grinned and kissed Thirteen's cheek.

"Next question," Thirteen smiled.

"Are you a member of the mile high club?"

Thirteen's eyes widened at Cameron. The mischievous twinkle in Cameron's eyes made Thirteen looked around the near empty cabin hoping that no one heard Cameron.

"No," Thirteen shook her head.

"Do you want to be a member?" Cameron grinned getting closer to Thirteen.

Thirteen smirked, "That's three questions."

"Fine you ask one."

Thirteen bit her lip to contain a broad smile, "I'm suddenly feeling the need to go to the bathroom. Aren't you?"


	9. Chapter 9

After Thirteen's _initiation_ into the mile high club, they both took a quick nap before they landed. When they landed, they went straight to the rental car counter and picked up the one Cameron reserved.

It wasn't long before they were leaving the city on the two-lane highway to Cameron's small hometown on the outskirts. They had rolled the windows down so the cold air could whip around them.

After driving for half and hour, Thirteen was starting to nod off. She passed out a few minutes into the drive, leaving Cameron alone with her thoughts.

When Thirteen woke up it was dark all around her. She sat up and looked around. The only light was coming from the clock on the dashboard. Her eyes were adjusting and she was beginning to be able to see. She was still in the car that was on the side of the road next to a field. "Ally?" she called.

"I'm right here," Cameron's soft voice said from outside her window.

Thirteen looked over and saw Cameron standing next to the car. "What's wrong? Did the car break down?"

Cameron shook her head. She opened the door, "Come on."

Thirteen got out of the car and watched Cameron lay on top of the hood of the car. She laid next to the blonde and looked at the sky, "I don't think I've ever seen so many stars."

"I miss this sometimes," Cameron scooted closer to Thirteen, "In high school, I'd come out here and think."

"How close are we to your mom's house?"

"Five minutes," Cameron answered, "The sun isn't even starting to come up so no one is awake yet. I didn't want to wake them up."

"This is nice," Thirteen looped her arm through Cameron's. "I can see why you came out here."

They lay under the stars until the sun started to come up. Then they drove the remaining five minutes to Cameron's childhood home.

They drove into a small town and seemingly out the other side. Cameron turned down a dirt road and stopped when they got to an old, two-story house. It was exactly the house that Thirteen would have pictured Cameron growing up in.

As they got out of the car, they saw a man sitting on the front porch swing, drinking some coffee. He was in khaki pants and a blue polo. Cameron smiled and walked straight to him. He smiled and stood up, "There's my Ally." He wrapped her in his arm.

Thirteen took her time getting out of the car, then she shuffled slowly over, her boots scraping against the gravel road.

"Dad, this is Remy," Cameron introduced the internist when she finally made her way over. She turned to Thirteen, "This is Sean, my dad."

"Nice to meet you," Remy smiled with her hands in her pockets.

He wrapped her in a gentle bear hug. "There's no need to be shy." He pulled away, "Do you want some coffee?"

"Please," Thirteen nodded.

Cameron's father led the way into the kitchen where Cameron sat at the table and Thirteen followed suit. A cup of coffee was set before each of them and then Sean sat down.

"So," he smiled, "How was your flight?"

"It was great," Cameron grinned while Thirteen tried to cover up her smile by sipping her coffee.

"That's good," he nodded.

"Is Bryan here?" the blonde asked.

"He's still asleep."

Cameron smiled, "Figures."

"Do you work at the hospital with Cameron?" Sean asked Thirteen.

She nodded, "But in a different department."

"Are you a cardiologist?" her asked.

"Dad," Cameron sighed, "There's nothing wrong with your heart. I checked myself."

"I'm actually an internist," Thirteen ran a finger over the rim of her glass, "And I work in the diagnostic department."

Sean opened his mouth again, but was interrupted by a loud, "Ally!"

They all looked at the kitchen door and saw a young man with brown hair and blue eyes. He was in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. He was a little bit taller than Cameron, but it was obvious they were related.

She stood up and smiled as he swept her up into his arms. "Hey Bry. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much. Just work," he smiled and caught sight of Thirteen. Disengaging from his sister, he stepped over to her, "I'm Bryan. The best Cameron child."

Thirteen chuckled and shook his hand, "I'm Remy."

Cameron pushed her brother, "Whatever."

Thirteen smiled at the interaction, then looked back at her coffee.

"Where's mom?" he asked, getting himself some coffee.

"Still in bed, I assume," Sean stated. He refilled Thirteen's coffee. She smiled in a thank you. "The part starts in the city at two." He looked at Cameron and Thirteen. "Maybe you two should go get some sleep."

Cameron looked at Thirteen who shrugged. The blonde looked back at her dad, "Maybe an hour or so would help. I'm not feeling jet lagged yet, but I will soon."

"Your bedroom is the same way it was last time you were here," he smiled, "I hope you two don't mind sharing a bed."

"It's not a problem," Cameron grinned and waited for Thirteen to follow her before going up the stairs.

"This is…" Thirteen looked around the room and took the surroundings of teenage Cameron's bedroom, "This is cute."

"Cute?" Cameron asked, falling back on the bed.

Thirteen smiled, "It's adorable." She slunk over to the bed and sat down next to Cameron.

The blonde rested her head on Thirteen's shoulder, "Well, I can't be offended since I'm tired."

"Why are you offended?" Thirteen smiled, wrapping her arms around Cameron's waist.

Cameron closed her eyes, feeling sleep threatening to take over, "Cute is not something I would like my…" She trailed off.

"Your?" Thirteen asked with a quiet smile.

"I don't know," Cameron sighed and crawled to the head of the bed, resting her head on the pillow.

Thirteen followed her and lay down on the bed right next to Cameron on the same pillow. She watched Cameron's tired eyes. She watched them turn toward her. The look in them gave her goose bumps. Cameron had always been the caring one, but Thirteen could feel it. The compassion and caring was being absorbed by Thirteen's eyes and dispensed through her whole body.

She swallowed hard, "Truth or dare."

Cameron chuckled slightly and snuggled into Thirteen, "Truth."

"What do you want this relationship to be?"

Cameron thought for a moment, "All it can be."

"Cheater," Thirteen rested her head on Cameron's shoulder.

"Truth or dare," the blonde ran her hand through the younger woman's hair and kissed her forehead.

Thirteen smiled into the kiss, "Truth."

"What do you want it to be?"

"Chocolate."

"What?" Cameron's eyes opened.

"Chocolate. I want the cake at the party to be chocolate," Thirteen asked, "You didn't specify what 'it' meant."

"Look who's the cheater now," Cameron proper her head up on her elbow to look down at Thirteen, "How about today, you really think about what you want out of this relationship and I'll find the right words and we'll talk tonight? Just you, me, and more stars than you've ever seen?"

"Sounds good," Thirteen nodded.

Cameron kissed her, "Good. Now go to sleep. We have to get up in an hour." She lay back down and they snuggled together before quickly falling asleep.

When Cameron woke up, she was alone in the bed. When she sat up she realized she was alone in the room. So she made her way to the bathroom to fix her hair before making her way downstairs. When she got there, she found her mother, father, brother, a few other relatives and Thirteen in the living room talking.

"Ally!" one of her cousins stood up and hugged her. Then her cousin took a step back, "What happened to your hair? It's…different."

Cameron smiled and nodded, "I know. Thanks."

Then she finally made her way to her mother who hugged her, "Hey sweetheart. How was your flight?"

"Great," Cameron smiled, "Happy Birthday."

"How are my grandbabies coming along?" her mother asked.

Cameron rolled her eyes so her mother could see it and laughed before sinking onto the couch next to Thirteen who was deep in conversation with Bryan.

Thirteen looked over at Cameron with a sympathetic smile. "How'd you sleep?"

"Great. Why didn't you wake me up?" Cameron asked.

"You were really tired."

"Ally!" someone called from the other end of the house.

She leaned over to Thirteen and whispered, "Here's hoping there's an open bar at the party."

Thirteen giggled and watched Cameron walk off to greet another member of her family.

"Would you like to take this outside?" Bryan asked, "It's getting a little crowded in here."

Thirteen agreed and then went outside. Bryan sat on the white, wooden railing of the front porch while Thirteen made herself comfortable on the porch swing.

"So you're good friends with my sister?" Bryan asked, crossing his arms.

Thirteen nodded, "I like to think so."

"She told me about you a few months ago," he smiled, "She was ranting and raving that House was trying to replace her with you. Then you became the mysterious party girl. Now you're besties?"

"I guess that's how things work sometimes," Thirteen shrugged.

He paused, looking at the bowing wood on the ancient porch, "You know what happened with her first husband don't you?"

Thirteen nodded, not really knowing or liking where this was going.

"Then Robert?" Bryan asked, "You know he had a problem with Cameron still loving her dead husband right?"

Another skeptical nod came from Thirteen.

He looked up at her, "What do you think? Is it ridiculous to still love a dead man?"

"I still love my mother," Thirteen replied, coolly.

Bryan smiled a perfect smile and put his hands on the rail he was leaning on. "You are…perfect." He paused, "and if my sister didn't already have dibs I'd ask you out on a date."

Thirteen's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

"Ally," his smile grew wider, "When she loves someone, it's obvious. Her eyes give her away every time. She's so full of love and kindness that it just spills out. The flood gates are open all the way when she looks at you. And I don't blame her."

Thirteen chuckled, "She said you'd be charming."

He grinned, "Well, I love and respect my sister enough to not try to tread on her territory. So," he moved to sit on the porch swing next to Thirteen, "Let's be friends."

"Friends," Thirteen smiled and nodded.

Around noon, the family moved en masse out to the driveway where cars were lined up. Somehow Cameron and Thirteen got separated in two different cars on the way to the city, but they immediately found each other when they got to the venue.

The ballroom of the hotel was elegantly decorated and there were tables lined with food all over the place. A dance floor had been set up and a jazz band was playing softly in the background.

It wasn't long before older relatives were asking Cameron for advice and when they found out Thirteen was a doctor also, she attracted a lot of questions. Cameron finally managed to get two drink and sit at a table. Her eyes automatically found Thirteen who was talking to Cameron's great aunt. She watched Thirteen lean closer to the aging woman so she could hear what the woman was saying, then she stood up straight and laughed. After adding something to make Cameron's great aunt laugh, Thirteen looked over and saw Cameron looking at her. She smiled sweetly. Cameron waved her over and Thirteen follow orders.

As Thirteen neared, Cameron took her hand and pulled her down into her lap. Thirteen smiled and picked up the drink she knew was meant for her. She took a long drink and smiled, "You like PDA huh?"

"Well, I just like the affection part. I don't care where it is," Cameron rested her chin on Thirteen's shoulder, "besides we're in a blue state remember?"

Thirteen smiled, "I'm not worried about that. Besides, your brother already has you figured out."

"Really?" Cameron asked, not really surprised, "He's always known me better than I have."

"Well, since you're not doing anything right now…" Thirteen was cut off by a man's voice.

"Would you like to dance?" Sean asked, standing next to Thirteen with his hand extended.

Thirteen smiled at him and took his hand, letting him pull her out of Cameron's lap, "I would love to."

Cameron saw that her brother was standing behind their dad, waiting to take Cameron to dance.

"What's dad saying to her?" Cameron asked as they swayed on the opposite side of the dance floor from her dad and Thirteen.

Bryan looked over at their father, "I think he's telling her that fishing story that he tells every Thanksgiving."

Cameron sighed, "Well, she told me that you already know."

"Yeah," he spun her around, "You're not the subtlest of people."

"Hey," Cameron frowned.

Bryan laughed, "It's true. Anyway the gift you two gave mom was great and mom and dad already love her."

"Gift?" Cameron asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah," Bryan nodded, "There was an envelope on the counter with certificate for a spa day at the best spa in the city. Your name was signed on it, but it wasn't your handwriting. I assume you completely forgot and she covered for you."

"I guess so," Cameron looked over at Thirteen who was laughing at something her dad said.

Bryan spun his sister around again, "She's perfect. Where do I get one?"


	10. Chapter 10

That night, everyone got back to the house and went straight to bed. Cameron woke up about an hour later and found she was yet again, alone.

This time she found her window open. Cameron walked to the window and found Thirteen pacing the length of the driveway looking at her booted feet make contact with the gravel, lit up by the full moon.

Cameron looked at the tree that she used to climb down to sneak out when she was in high school. Figuring she could do it again, she hopped out onto the nearest sturdy branch before shimmying down the street, finally landing on the ground. The thud caused Thirteen to look up.

"Hey," Cameron smiled sweetly, "Are you okay?"

Thirteen smiled back and nodded, "Just thinking."

Cameron took Thirteen's jacket in her hands and pulled to internist into a long, lingering kiss. "Have you decided what you want us to be?"

When Thirteen paused, Cameron took her hand and they started walking down the gravel driveway. "Just tell me what you want out of this."

"I want…" Thirteen paused, "I'm…at times I'm irrational and irresponsible because I know…my lifespan is finite. I'm erratic and flaky sometimes when I'm having a slight meltdown which happens occasionally. What I want out of this is to not hurt you because I really, really care about you. You've already been through so much, if somehow I don't manage to screw this whole relationship up, I'll just end up dying and hurting you."

Cameron took this all in and thought for a few steps before answering, "Hypothetically, we run the test again and it's negative and you find out that when you ran the first test it wasn't calibrated properly. Would you have any other doubts about your ability to carry on a stable relationship?"

"I don't think so," Thirteen shook her head.

"Then I don't have any doubts about this," Cameron smiled softly, "I want to be with you. Huntington's, neurotic tendencies, self-destructive behavior and all. Just being around you makes me feel so much better. I want to take this as far as you'll let me."

Thirteen took a long, deep, shaky breath. "Are you sure?"

Cameron nodded without hesitation. A slow smile spread across her face and she stopped their movement to kiss Thirteen.

"Okay," Thirteen kissed Cameron again, "But I think this means we have to start going out on actual dates instead of just having sleepovers."

Cameron got close to kissing Thirteen again before pausing, "But sleepovers are fun." She closed the gap between them.

"I'm not saying no sleepovers. I'm just saying there needs to be dates thrown in there somewhere," Thirteen smiled, "We wouldn't want this whole relationship based on the fact that we're incredible in bed together, would we?"

Cameron pretended to think, but let out a telling grin, "Good point. So when we get back I'll take you out on a proper date."

"Good," Thirteen wrapped her arms around Cameron, "Now let's go back to bed."

It took a little longer to get up the tree than it did to get down. "You really used to sneak out?" Thirteen asked as they made their way back into bed.

Cameron grinned, "Not to party or anything. Just to walk and think or something."

Thirteen laid down on the bed and smiled, "I didn't expect anything less."

The blonde was surprised to be the first one awake that morning, but she didn't mind. She felt like watching Thirteen sleep was a special privilege reserved just for her and she loved every second of it.

Cameron finally sat up in bed and started stroking Thirteen's hair. It took a few minutes, but Thirteen slowly started to wake up. She smiled when she saw Cameron and held the blonde's hand against her face.

"Good morning," Cameron smiled and rubbed Thirteen's cheek with her thumb.

"How long have you been up?" Thirteen asked moving her head onto Cameron's lap.

Cameron started to stroke Thirteen's hair again, "Not long." She bent down and kissed the younger woman's forehead. "How about you lay in bed for a few more minutes and I'll go start some breakfast?"

Thirteen smiled, "Perfect."

After Cameron made coffee, Thirteen made her way downstairs in jeans and a cami, settling at the table. Cameron set a cup in front of her and watched Thirteen smile as she filled it up.

"So," Cameron opened the refrigerator, "It doesn't look like there's much in here. The parade on the way out to church must have wiped it out."

"That's okay," Thirteen shrugged, "I wanted to hit the coffee shop in the airport anyway."

Cameron glanced at the clock then sat at the table, "Our flight isn't until seven."

The brunette smirked, "We'll I guess we'll have to go get something before then. I think I saw a diner somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Cameron smirked and got up to dig through the pantry, "There's one main road here and we only turned off of it to go down the driveway."

"Sorry," Thirteen chuckled, "I'm not good with small towns. I find some way to get lost every time."

Cameron opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by her phone ringing on the table between them. Thirteen picked it up and handed it to the blonde behind her, "It's your mom."

After kissing the top of Thirteen's head, Cameron answered her phone, "Hey mom…wait slow down…he what?… we'll be right there."

Thirteen was immediately concerned when Cameron's face started to show signs of panic. "What happened?"

"Someone collapsed at church the church," Cameron grabbed the keys to the rental car, "Bryan! Someone collapsed at the church. We're going up there!"

Bryan thundered down the stairs, "I'll go with you."

The three rushed to the rental car and sped to the church. There was a large crowd outside when Cameron and Thirteen rushed inside.

"Over here," a man called.

They trotted across the squeaky floors of the aged church. They saw the man immediately. He wasn't what Cameron expected which was a older man who was just having a dizzy spell. It couldn't be more than twenty-five.

Suddenly, he started convulsing. Short, violent seizures that scared the people that were surrounding him, sans the doctors attending to him.

"We need to get him to a hospital," Thirteen looked at Cameron who nodded, while they tried to hold him down and then looked at the crowd, "Someone call an ambulance."

The ambulance turned out to be a converted van with a paramedic who was not in shape in the least. A few men and Thirteen put the man into the ambulance. Thirteen got into the back.

"Where's the closest hospital?" Cameron asked the group, although she had a sinking feeling she already knew.

"Fifteen miles up the road," her mother answered, "You know, where we took you when you broke your arm."

Cameron nodded, "I need you to get our bags and meet us there."

Her mother could only get out a nod before Cameron jumped into the back of the van and slammed the door shut. The paramedic/driver got in the front seat and floored it.

"What do you think is wrong?" Cameron looked at Thirteen.

Thirteen shook her head and checked his pulse, "It's too soon to know. I think I keep trying to overcomplicate it in my head because of what I do at work."

Cameron nodded, "Me too. I hope it's not really that complicated."

The brunette looked over at her and then back in the patient. Something told her that it wasn't going to be simple at all.


	11. Chapter 11

Happy End Of The Semester! To me anyway. I'm excited to get to sleep late and watch People's Court all day.

In preparation for my last final I sat in the library and caught up on all the House episodes I've missed so I became inspired. This is the end product...enjoy ;)

* * *

After finding out that they were ill-equipped to handle a mystery case, they decided that they needed to involve their colleagues.

They were both looking at House's face on Thirteen's computer. The built in web cam was giving him a view of the room, the patient and both of them.

"Why are you in Iowa?" House asked, scrunching up his nose.

"Yesterday was my mom's birthday," Cameron sighed, "We have a patient."

House pointed at Thirteen, "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to her."

"I'm a doctor. This is a hospital. It seems logical," Thirteen set the man's medical chart open in front of the screen so House could read it and not see her.

Cameron whispered to Thirteen, "I'm sorry. I was hoping he wouldn't find out for a while."

"He would have found out eventually," Thirteen whispered back, "It's just going to be as bad for you as it is for me."

The blonde nodded.

"Can you move the chart so I can see the patient?" House asked.

Thirteen picked it up and tossed it onto the small counter. Then she picked up the laptop and pointed it at the patient.

"Aren't there any doctors in Iowa?" House asked, looking the patient over, "Or a vet?"

"The local doctor is out of town," Cameron answered, "There's a nurse practitioner filling in until he gets back." She looked over at the aged nurse practitioner in the corner.

"They put a glorified bedpan cleaner in charge?" House asked, "Dr. Cameron I'm starting to realize why you are the way you are."

"I'm sorry," Cameron apologized to the NP for House, "He's a brilliant ass."

The NP just shrugged, "I've been called worse. Let me know if you two need anything."

"Thank you," Cameron smiled.

Thirteen put the laptop back down and looked over the chart. "His name is Bill Miller. 32, lives alone in an apartment above a garage of one of the people at the church. No family that anyone knows of. He works at a gas station and is taking classes over the internet to become a paralegal."

"What kind of junior chemistry set do you have to work with?" House asked.

Cameron walked out to consult with the NP and then returned, "A small, under stocked lab, but they have more chemicals at the high school down the street. I'll go get them and we'll test for all we can here."

House nodded at the screen and Thirteen watched helplessly as Cameron walked out of the room.

"So," House asked, "I'm going to pretend like I don't know and ask why are you in possibly the most uninteresting state in the world?"

Thirteen shook he head, "It's Cameron's mom's birthday."

"And you knew her mother before yesterday?"

"No," Thirteen shook her head, "I came with Cameron."

"Hmmm," House pretended to think, "Have you finally abandoned your drug taking, womanizing ways?"

Thirteen was quiet and looked at the patient.

"I didn't think so," House stood up and closed the blinds, "But Cameron will stand by you because she thinks you need her, which you do, and she needs to be needed." He seated himself in front of the computer again.

"I don't need her," Thirteen huffed, defiantly,

"Oh but you do," House started clicking around on the screen, "You need her because she'll try to stop your downward spiral. She won't be able to, but she'll try and you want that. She's smarter than Foreman so she'll challenge you the way you want her to. Then you'll live happily ever after with a Cambodian baby and six cats."

Thirteen thought about what he said for a while before she heard a woman ask in a sexy voice, "I'm your plumber. You said you needed your pipes cleaned?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow at the laptop, "Are you watching porn?"

He looked at the computer, "This thing's still on?" He reached over the screen and a click sent the screen into blackness.

Thirteen just shook her head as Cameron walked back in with a box full of glass bottles. "Where do you want to do this?"

The brunette looked around the room and pointed to the counter on the side of the room, next to her laptop. "Did they just give you this?"

"Apparently I'm the most famous person from this town. An article I wrote about Mirror Syndrome last year has been circulating around the high school since I wrote it. I had to talk the chemistry teacher into not coming with me," Cameron grinned. She got out all the supplies she could carry and pulled up a stool, "This is going to take a while."

"Do you want me to go search his apartment?" Thirteen asked, "I think I'm a little better at the B and E than you."

Cameron nodded and started to pour the chemicals, "Just try not to get arrested, I'd hate to use my celebrity status to get you out."

Thirteen chuckled and jotted down the address from the chart before grabbing the keys to the rental car and leaving.

It took her ten minutes and a GPS search later to find the address. She found the stairs to the apartment above the garage and hoped that the family that lived in the house was gone.

She walked right up the stairs and turned the knob on the door. She was surprised it was open, but realized where she was. The crime rate in the town probably consisted of a few unruly high school kids and the occasional speeder.

House appeared on the screen as Cameron was drawing some blood to run a test. "Anything yet?"

Cameron shook her head as she examined the sample, "Thirteen's at his apartment."

"So," he placed his chin in his palm, "Why is Thirteen in Iowa?"


	12. Chapter 12

Thirteen walked around the tiny apartment in under a minute before starting to search through the cabinets and drawers. It was a small apartment, but fairly spacious. The kitchen to Thirteen's right was tidy and set around an old wooden table. To the right was a small sitting area and then a narrow hallway led to two doors, one on each side.

She dropped her bag on the kitchen table before making her way down the hallway, adding to herself as she walked, "The bedroom is where the secrets are."

Cameron sat at the makeshift lab, wondering how long it would take to transport the patient to the nearest hospital with a decent lab and if he could make it that far.

"Anything?" House popped up on the screen.

"Not yet," Cameron put her hair behind her ear, "I'm still working on mixing the bases. And Remy's still at his apartment as far as I know."

House was about to ask another question when the patient started convulsing. Cameron jumped up and called out the door, "I need some help in here. He's seizing."

Thirteen walked to the bathroom of the apartment and opened the medicine cabinet. Nothing unusual. No prescriptions. She closed it and noticed that the lid of the toilet was on crooked. When she bent down to look in the cabinet under the sink, she saw a small trail of water from the back of the toilet to the door of the bathroom where it disappeared.

She closed the cabinet and stood up straight. Carefully she removed the top from the tank of the toilet and set it on the counter by the sink. When she saw what was inside she breathed, "Oh my god."

Just as Cameron reached for her phone to let Thirteen know what happened, her phone rang. She picked it up and answered.

"Hey sis," her brother said on the other line, "How's it going?"

"Terribly," Cameron stated, "I don't really have time…"

"I know," he replied, "I just wanted to see if there was something I could do."

Cameron thought, "Maybe you could head to this guy's house and see if Remy needs some help."

Bryan quickly agreed, "Sure. I know where Bill lives. I'll go right over there."

"Okay bye," Cameron hung up her phone.

"So fainting, seizures, a shabby history, and Thirteen taking forever searching the apartment," House leaned in close to the web cam so that all Cameron could see was his eye. "Why am I here?"

"I don't know. I'll call you when something happens," Cameron shook her head and closed the computer, cutting off her contact with House.

Her phone rang again as she was looking at the microscope that the latest blood specimen. She answered it without taking her eyes off of the lenses. "Hello?"

"When the patient wake up, ask him why he had a kilo of cocaine in the tank of his toilet?" Thirteen stated, shifting the cocaine from one hand to the other.

"He's got a what?" Cameron asked, looking over at the patient. She didn't believe that that kind of thing happened in her hometown, especially in that volume. "Are you sure it's not just…baby powder?"

"Yeah," Thirteen replied, setting it on the kitchen table, "It's pure."

"You didn't…" Cameron trailed off not really knowing if she wanted to know the answer.

"No," Thirteen answered quietly, "I didn't." She didn't know if she was more upset by Cameron assuming she did or by the fact that she had actually seriously thought about it when she first found it.

Cameron sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Thirteen added, "Other than that there's nothing much in here."

"Well, Bryan is on his way to help you," Cameron tried to return the conversation into a strictly professional one, "Maybe you should ask the people that he rent the apartment from if he's been traveling frequent or acting weird."

"Okay,' Thirteen opened the door and saw Bryan pull into the driveway, "I'll call you if we find anything."

"Thanks," Cameron managed to get in before Thirteen hung up.

Thirteen made her way down the stairs to meet Bryan. He got out of his car and pulled off his sunglasses, "So, what do I need to do?"

"I'm going to go talk to the family. Go upstairs and see if there is anything weird," she said and turned to the main house, but added, "The cocaine on the table doesn't count."

Bryan raised an eyebrow, "Got it." He trotted up the stairs while Thirteen walked up the path to the front door.

Cameron felt like an ass for assuming that Thirteen would do the cocaine, although the brunette's comment made it seem like she had.

"Where am I?" a voice behind her asked.

Cameron swiveled around in her chair, seeing that the patient was awake. Maybe they would get some answers. "I'm Dr. Cameron."

The family wasn't helpful. The only information they could give Thirteen was that Bill left most mornings at five and returned after the sun went down. He had no visitors or family come over that they could remember.

She walked back up the stairs to get Bryan and replace the cocaine.

"Aren't you going to call the cops?" Bryan asked.

"No," Thirteen shook her head, "Doctor-patient confidentiality. He's not hurting anyone therefore I have no obligation to report it, plus he didn't consent to the search so we were trespassing."

"Oh," Bryan nodded, "Have you two eaten lunch yet? I'll pick up something on the way to the hospital."

"We haven't eaten at all today," Thirteen suddenly remembered.

He nodded, "I'll get you something."

Thirteen stopped at the rental car, "Okay. See you."

"Bye," he waved and got into his car.

Cameron and the patient looked up when Thirteen walked in. Thirteen walked straight to the lab they set up and ignored Cameron and Bill.

The blonde sighed, "So, what were you doing with all that cocaine?"

"How did you find that?" he asked, nervously.

"We searched your apartment," Cameron stated, "You haven't been reported to any law enforcement agency. We're your doctors. Everything you tell us is confidential. What were you doing with it?"

Bill rubbed his head, "My head is killing me." He took a deep breath, "I transport it."

"Does anyone have any sort of vendetta against you?" Cameron asked.

He shook his head, "Nah." He coughed, "What's wrong with me?"

"We don't know," Cameron stated, "Have you been out of the country recently?"

Just as the last part of the sentence came out of her mouth, he started to have another seizure. "Remy," Cameron called, calling the younger woman's attention to the patient.

They both stabilized him before he settled into a deep sleep.

Thirteen went back to analyzing the blood, while Cameron started to set up the computer for another video chat with House.

Cameron was about to apologize to Thirteen for her comment earlier when House popped up on the screen. "Good afternoon angels."

"Thirteen found a kilo of cocaine in the patient's bathroom," Cameron stated, "He has no family history of any genetic illness that he knows about and he just had a headache and a seizure."

"You'd think since he made that much money he'd move out of Kansas," House mused. "Check him for insect bites and while you're at it you might want to check your girlfriend." House pointed past Cameron to Thirteen who was still working at the lab.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"I'll be you a lap dance that she has an insect bite on her back where she's been scratching for the past three minutes and she got it searching his apartment," he stated, "Then find out where he's been to treat them both for the right insect borne disease."

Cameron walked over to Thirteen and carefully lifted Thirteen's shirt. Sure enough, there was a small red spot on the small of Thirteen's back.

"So," House asked Thirteen, "do you feel typhus-y or Lyme disease-y?"


	13. Chapter 13

Bryan walked in as they were discussing the possible diagnoses. Thirteen looked over at him. He was holding a paper bag and two bottles of water. He smiled, "I brought lunch."

Thirteen looked at Cameron, "He went into the apartment after I did."

Cameron looked at her brother, "Do you have any place on you that's been itching recently?"

Bryan looked confused, "I don't think so. What's going on?"

"Remy may have been bitten by the same bug that bit him," Cameron gestured toward the man on the bed. She looked at House.

"One of you needs to check him over to see if he did get bitten," House suggested, "Then, a round of antibiotics for everyone!" He reached up to the top of the screen and paused, "Seacrest out." Then the screen went dark.

"I'll check your brother," Thirteen offered to Cameron and then suggested, "Start the patient on antibiotics. That should kill whatever infection he has, Typhus or not."

Cameron nodded and watched Bryan set the water and food down on the chair by the window then follow Thirteen out the door.

"So, do you come here often?" Bryan asked in the empty room where he was being examined.

Thirteen raised an eyebrow and lifted his arm to look it over.

"Sorry, I don't handle awkward situations well," he smiled, "Especially ones where I'm naked."

She smiled briefly, "It's okay. Once you've done this to a few thousand people it loses it's thrill."

"Well in case you were wondering," Bryan watched Thirteen examine his abs, "I do work out."

Thirteen chuckled, "Nope. I wasn't wondering."

Cameron checked the patient's vital signs and once he was cognitive she found out he felt a lot better. So she went to the NP's office to tell her what they concluded and how to continue treatment. Then she cleaned up her temporary lab.

Bryan and Thirteen walked in a few minutes later both laughing.

"How'd it go?" Cameron asked.

"He's all clear and I took some antibiotics on the way back," Thirteen answered. She glanced at her watch, "I guess we missed our flights."

For the first time all day Cameron looked at the time then out the window realizing it was getting dark outside. "I guess so."

"I already called the rental car place and told them you'd need the car for another day," Bryan offered, picking up the forgotten food in the chair. He handed a sandwich to Thirteen and then one to Cameron.

"Thanks," Cameron said more for the sandwich than the car. She was starving.

They walked out to the car together and congregated by the trunk of the rental car. "So are you two going to stay here for another day?" Bryan asked.

Thirteen looked to Cameron. The blonde shrugged, "I don't see what other choice we have." She looked to Thirteen, "Unless you'd like to drive back."

Thirteen knew she should get back to work. "How about we check on flights out? I'm supposed to be back tomorrow. If there are no flights, I think we should drive back. Or at least I'll drive back and you can wait."

"I should get back too," Cameron told the other two then took a bite of her sandwich. She took out her phone and went to the web browser. It took her a few minutes but she concluded that they were definitely going to have to drive back.

They drove back to Cameron's parents' house and said their goodbyes. They made Thirteen promise to come back and see them again sometime.

"I'll definitely be back," Thirteen smiled, not knowing if she was lying or not. She was sure Chase said something like that to them last time he saw them.

Cameron hugged both of her parents; "I'll call you when we get back."

"We love you," her father held her for a moment before letting go, "We're so proud of you."

"Thanks dad," Cameron stepped away and saw Bryan saying goodbye to Thirteen. They hugged and Bryan said something to make Thirteen laugh. She was a little jealous of the interaction, but glad that Thirteen was getting along with her family.

"Well," Cameron smiled at the group, "I guess we should get going."

"Be safe," her mother called after them.

Thirteen took the first shift behind the wheel and started out of the tiny town. They had a long road ahead of them and she hoped that they could make it back before the start of her shift the next morning.

* * *

Sorry it's so short. I got lost in another fandom and have completely forgot about it. Anyway, I just needed to get them out of Iowa to move the story forward. More drama to come!


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